Save the Children launches appeal for children in the UK

[Vagaceratops]

BBC link

And it will get worse :(

On the latter point I agree with you that the poor are much more likely to get charges and would feel that pain more too. There is a partial answer already which is to get a basic bank account where you can't go overdrawn.

Unfortunately it seems that the other way of reducing these stupid sized charges is to pay for our bank accounts. Free banking is a bit of an anomaly to the UK. It's just accepted as fact in other countries that you have to pay for a bank account. But I can't see that being popular in the UK!

Smellsliketeenstrop "If the government is not to 'throw more money at her', and it would be terribad to expect her employer to pay her a bit more. What can be done to help her?"

Reduce her tax burden for starters.

Darkesteyeswithflecksofgold

flatpack if everybody was able to do that then who would do the cleaning jobs? Oh of course .........workfare. Silly me!

In 20 years' time robots will be doing most of the cleaning work (and most unskilled work). Automated street cleaners, automated window cleaners, automated fruit pickers.. And yet you persist in trying to keep people in low-skilled jobs rather than pushing them to be better. If you think you look silly now, imagine how silly you'll look in 20 years time when your unskilled workers literally have no work to do.

That's a beyond simplistic view of automation.

Rosebud05

That's a beyond simplistic view of automation.

Automated street cleaners already exist. They're just not widespread. Robotic fruit pickers exist but aren't cheap yet - but they will be. Self-cleaning glass isn't far away.

The future's already here. It's just that reactionaries haven't noticed.

If you think you look silly now, imagine how silly you'll look in 20 years time when your unskilled workers literally have no work to do.

We can train them to be soldiers in preparation for the robot uprising.

Lol robots where going to be our slaves 50 years ago, the world of tomorrow is still just that.

We are a long way from replacing low skilled jobs with robots, in fact history tells us it's the higher skilled who are replaced by automation look at the car i industry and other factory processes, do you really think the local government is going to invest in an army of robot street cleaners on expensive contracts from private firms when they can pay a chump a poverty wage.

Even if they did what do you think would happen then to all the poor, do you think the millions will all magically find 2k or more for OU degrees and all get some mythical office jobs, or will they just be chucked on the scrapheap left to rot on benefits, while
I'm all right jack idiots continue to call them all lazy and incompetent with money for not managing to get a job, blissfully unaware of the massive catch 22.

Oh and a lot of people can't get bank accounts, how do you get one when you don't have a passport £78 last time i looked or a driving licence £40 last time i looked and don't have 3 bills to show address, banks don't accept letters from the council or job centre, i know this because they told me to sod off with them before.

My mother claims pension, she has one of the special accounts at the post office that her benefits are paid into, all that involves is having a pin number and a card for getting your cash out, no other services, she can't get a bank account not enough proof of address because she hasn't got any utility bills.

SunWukong

Lol robots where going to be our slaves 50 years ago, the world of tomorrow is still just that.

What robots have done is reduce the workload for the rest of us so that we can do other stuff with our time.

We are a long way from replacing low skilled jobs with robots, in fact history tells us it's the higher skilled who are replaced by automation look at the car i industry and other factory processes, do you really think the local government is going to invest in an army of robot street cleaners on expensive contracts from private firms when they can pay a chump a poverty wage.

It depends upon the price and efficiency of the robot.

Even if they did what do you think would happen then to all the poor, do you think the millions will all magically find 2k or more for OU degrees and all get some mythical office jobs, or will they just be chucked on the scrapheap left to rot on benefits, while I'm all right jack idiots continue to call them all lazy and incompetent with money for not managing to get a job, blissfully unaware of the massive catch 22.

Those poor will become increasingly disenfranchised. Either the state will buy them off with benefits, as they do now, or they'll cut the cord and have to deal with violence.

That's why it needs to be thought about now, rather than in 20 years' time.

"Either the state will buy them off with benefits, as they do now, or they'll cut the cord and have to deal with violence."

How is that, any different to this? It's nice to know that our safety net has now morphed into a protection racket!

flat pack there's already self cleaning glass. It has a chemical coating that stops stuff sticking to it and then the rain washes it.

(just lurking )

Oh and a lot of people can't get bank accounts,

I know, I think as many as 1 in 7 amongst those in low income groups don't have a bank account. It's really not fair that the poorest people end up paying more for electricity and gas, and can't take advantage of money saving deals that require a bank account.

What are reasons for not havng a bank account?

I knew it was difficult to get one after bankruptcy, and can image that it might be difficult for someone living in a residential home perhaps, but I genuinely don't know why it would be difficult or why someone woudont have utility bills. I used my council tax bill for the last bank account I opened.

Married and everything being i the husband's name for one.

Living in accommodation where the utilities are included in the rent.

Surfing on someone else's sofa.

Living in accommodation where the utilities are on meters that take coins, cards you buy from your landlord or a pre loaded key you buy from the corner shop etc.

You need a passport or a driving license as well as something confirming your current address, usually a recent utility bill or council tax bill freddos

Oh, ok. Thanks.

I have never opened a bank account properly I don't think, my main current account is the same one I had since I was a teenager, and the other bank accounts I have opened since then have probably been linked to that.

I already mentioned that passports currently 78 quid plus the question of who's going to sign it for you, now they say no to gps doing it.

Driving licence about 40 quid i think not sure.

So to open an account in the first place you need to spend st least 48 quid or so, last time i looked at getting passport photos the machine wanted 8 quid for it. And have ssome address proof.

Goes without saying some will be left out, like my mum, all ways had a passport but all bills are in my dad's name. She was just round here the other day asking for cheque for something.

Driving licence about 40 quid i think not sure.

It's a full driving license you need so you've also got the cost of the lessons on top of that, and the cost of the tests. It's cheaper to get a passport.

Really bf has a provisional he uses for id driving lessens are very expensive he's never taken any.

Another blow to the poor £78 for a passport then plus the 8 quid for the photos and what ever sum someone will charge you to sign it if you can find anyone to do it.

Oh ok. I was looking at the Barclays site and it says

''Current Photocard Driving Licence or UK full paper driving licence''

It only specifies a full paper driving license.

Well you might be right he's never tried opening a bank account with it, but he uses it for other things, he originally got it for camalot when he won 3 grand on the lottery.

Just checked Google, natwest says full driving licence, provisional if under 20 years old.

The highest court in our land held that if some idiot over draws in breach of contract they have acted wrongly and it is perfectly in order to charge them so that those who ensure they do not over draw are not subsidising them. It was a very wise decision. People need to take responsibility for themselves.

On ID for £15 you can get a photocard - www.citizencard.com/.

However I accept that some people have such a bad credit record they will find even getting a basic bank account difficult to obtain.

Are Martin Narey's calculations based on a family on Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support? There is a big difference and if he's not going to give us figures that are clear his article is as meaningless as the STC one.

I don't know.

Martin N is much respected and I agree with his view - you can feed a family on benefits (although not if you have difficulties, cannot manage money, are on drugs, have a disordered life, addictions etc which is where the real problems are caused, not because benefits are not enough to buy food)